Friday 23 January 2015

What Does God Think of You?

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What Does God Think of You?
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By Rick Warren — Jan 22, 2015
 
Devotional
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“The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end.” (Isaiah 54:10 GNT)
If you don’t feel loved by God, you’re certainly not going to offer love to anybody else. It is impossible to be loving unless you understand and remember the way God loves you.
You need to remind yourself every day what God thinks about you — not what the world thinks or what you think about yourself. That is what removes your fears.
Let me give you four things God thinks about you to help you remember why and how to love.
You’re completely accepted.
We spend much of our lives trying to earn acceptance from our parents, peers, those we respect, those we envy, and even total strangers. But you need to realize God has already settled this issue of acceptance: “Jesus made us acceptable to God” (Titus 3:7 CEV). What Jesus did on the cross made you completely acceptable to God — no matter what you’ve done or will do.
You’re unconditionally loved.
God doesn’t say, “I love you if …” or “ I love you because …” He says, “I love you — period!” You can’t make God stop loving you, because his love is not based on what you do but on who he is. Isaiah 54:10 says, “The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end” (GNT).
You’re totally forgiven.
Because Jesus died on the cross and gave his life as a payment for your sins, you are totally forgiven. Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). God doesn’t rehearse your sins; he releases them.
You’re considered extremely valuable.
There are two things that create value: who owns something, and what somebody’s willing to pay for it.
You are a child of God and “have been bought and paid for by Christ” (1 Corinthians 7:23 TLB). Jesus Christ paid for you with his life. That’s how valuable you are.
When you remember that you are accepted, loved, forgiven, and valuable to the Creator of the universe, you will be better equipped to show that love to others and build deeper relationships.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
  • How should the way God thinks of you change the way you think about yourself?
  • What keeps you from completely loving, accepting, and forgiving the people with whom you have a relationship?
  • How do you show others that they are valuable to you?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6Qtxzd6vk

The Power of Prayer
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
"The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."
James 5:16, NIV
TODAY'S WORD:
All throughout the Bible, you can see just how powerful and life-changing prayer is. The best news about prayer is that the same power you read about in the Bible is available to you right here, right now! God intended prayer to change lives. And whenever God Himself is involved in the situation, you know things are important! Through your prayers, you can tap into God's incredible, inexhaustible power in your life, and you can also be a great encouragement and blessing to those who need prayer around you. James says that prayer can heal and restore people. Make a choice today and every day to be a powerful and effective prayer warrior for God!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
God, I know that You want to hear from me. Thank You for giving me Your infinite power when I come before You in prayer. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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